In the last decade of the nineteenth century, a traditional Jewish cemetery was established in the small town of Bagnowka, located near the urban center of Bialystok in current northeastern Poland. Though governed then by Tsarist Russia, Bialystok was still inspired by the teachings of the Torah, the Talmud, and the greater rabbinic community. Yet this was also a time of societal upheaval as a wave of modernity swept over Eastern Europe, bringing with it religious diversity, revolution, and a more secular way of life that would also impact the structure and material culture of this cemetery. Bagnowka: A Modern Jewish Cemetery on the Russian Pale tells the story of this cemetery from its founding in 1892 to its devastation during and after the Holocaust, as well as its recent restoration-in-progress. Drawing on Bagnowkas epitaphs and tombstone art, archival records, period newspapers, photographs, and more, Heidi M. Szpek reveals how this cemetery serves as a reflection of a once traditional Jewish world impacted by modernity.

In this alternately humorous and horrifying memoir, a Jewish father schleps his reluctant children around Europe on a hard-charging tour of Holocaust sites and memorials in order to impress on them the profound evil of Hitler’s war against the Jews and the importance of combatting genocide. In 2017, renowned author and celebrity rabbi, Shmuley Boteach, decided to take his family on a European holiday. But instead of seeing the sights of London or Paris, he took his reluctant—and at times complaining—children on a harrowing journey though Auschwitz, Treblinka, Warsaw, and many other sites associated with Hitler’s genocidal war against the Jews. His purpose was to impress upon them the full horror of the Holocaust so they would know and remember it deep in their bones. In the process, he and his children learn a great deal about the scope and nature of the European genocide and the continuing effects of global hatred and anti-Semitism. The resulting memoir is an utterly unique blend of travelogue, memoir and history—alternately fascinating, terrifying, frustrating, humorous, and tragic. “It is my honor to contribute a foreword to his important book, in which Rabbi Shmuley Boteach details the excruciating journey he took with his wife and children in the summer of 2017 to the killing fields of Europe, a pilgrimage which every person of conscience should attempt at least once in their lifetime. It is our universal obligation to dedicate ourselves to the memory of the martyred six million, just as it is our obligation to confront and defeat genocide wherever it rises.” —From the foreword by Amb. Georgette Mosbacher

An investigation into the man Scotland Yard thought (but couldn't prove) was Jack the Ripper Dozens of theories have attempted to resolve the mystery of the identity of Jack the Ripper, the world's most famous serial killer. Ripperologist Robert House contends that we may have known the answer all along. The head of Scotland Yard's Criminal Investigation Department at the time of the murders thought Aaron Kozminski was guilty, but he lacked the legal proof to convict him. By exploring Kozminski's life, House builds a strong circumstantial case against him, showing not only that he had means, motive, and opportunity, but also that he fit the general profile of a serial killer as defined by the FBI today. The first book to explore the life of Aaron Kozminski, one of Scotland Yard's top suspects in the quest to identify Jack the Ripper Combines historical research and contemporary criminal profiling techniques to solve one of the most vexing criminal mysteries of all time Draws on a decade of research by the author, including trips to Poland and England to uncover Kozminski's past and details of the case Includes a Foreword by Roy Hazelwood, a former FBI profiler and pioneer of profiling sexual predators Features dozens of photographs and illustrations Building a thorough and convincing case that completes the work begun by Scotland Yard more than a century ago, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to know who really committed Jack the Ripper's heinous and unforgettable crimes.

This book has no story plot and is about only one person. It is different from other books that may be described as action-packed or "a page turner". It is an inspirational and emotional biographical book that puts you into the life of an orthodox Jew, Solomon Siegel, living in Brooklyn, New York from 1910 until his death in 1951. Through speeches, poems, songs, parables, jokes and Torah stories he is able to present his moral values and philosophy. Many of his writings are so thought provoking and informative that it may require you to sit and contemplate his meaning. His views on the coming of the State of Israel give us the historical view of the Jewish community when he served as a synagogue president. We see his heartfelt obligation and devotion to the survivors of the Holocaust in his support of The Hachnosas Kallah (Bridal Fund) for the young Jewish immigrants arriving here without funds to marry and start a new life. Many of his writings are a powerful and poignant reminder for today's Jewish community if they are to survive the current secular world we live in. The theme of his writings is the keeping of the Sabbath and the Holidays that will define us as Jews. My adventure into the literary world is not a creative attempt to become a famous author. Through this book I want my family to have a strong connection to a person that, to my own regret, I never had. I believe I have achieved this goal. When my twin brother, Martin, and I visited Suwalki Poland his home town, and also through my research of the area and time he was there it was reinforced. I now know this inspiring and perceptive person. I also now know "The soul of Solomon Siegel".

This expanded and updated edition includes new coverage of Austria, Ukraine, and Lithuania in addition to Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and all of the ancestral homes to the great majority of North American Jews.